Institute of Hawaiian Language Research and Translation Opens at UH Mānoa

Hawaiian language students at University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa are working with millions of historical documents that were previously lost in translation.

The Institute of Hawaiian Language Research and Translation is working to locate and translate a repository of papers in written only in Hawaiian. The largest source comes from more than 100 different Hawaiian language newspapers published until the late 1940’s. Of those, only a small portion have been translated into English, and remain an untapped source of information into Hawai‘i’s past.

Puakea Nogelmeier is leading the department. He says the institute will reconnect scholars with historical Hawaiian material that had been beyond reach.

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The center is also gives Hawaiian language students a chance to regularly practice their language skills while being employed. Paige Okamura is a Grad Student with the program.

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The institute is a collaboration with the UH Sea Grant College, the School of Hawaiian Knowledge, other UH departments, and a local non-profit called Awaiaulu. Information translated to the public will be made available for all departments in the UH system.

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